Violet Veins: A Witch and Vampire Office Romance

by Paige A. Cook

As the scorned aura-reading Scrolls’ Department Director finds herself obligated to attend the wedding of the only man she’s ever loved, an alluring stranger devoid of an aura unexpectedly captures her attention.

Lyla has never had a one-night stand before, but she can’t resist the gravitational pull Emory has on her. Maybe it’s his dimples, his violet eyes, or the way he buries his fangs in her neck.

When he shows up the next day at her workplace as her new employee, she realizes the gravity of the situation. Scrolls is so understaffed, she can’t possibly send him away. Can she?

Reading guidance for intense subject matter can be found at the beginning of the book.

Genres: Vampires, Paranormal Romance

267 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 22, 2024

About the author

Paige A. Cook is equal parts woman and mist of the mountains. Her books blend dark fantasy romance with unexpected tropes, often pulling inspiration from her dreams and Appalachian upbringing. She is a sucker for kdramas, fated mates, slow burn, issekai, and fictional men who yearn.

A proud West Virginian woman, she enjoys possum wrangling and whispering secrets to the ravens in her backyard. She’s happiest digging her hands through the dirt, watching her flowers spring forth to welcome the bees and butterflies.

In the light of the sun, she blazes a fierce trail of marketing splendor in the legal industry. By moonshine, she weaves stories of strange worlds far away where the food is magic, the lore is rich, and the plus size women bang sexy mythical beings.

She once fell into a fae circle. Rumor has it she never truly returned.

You can find her on Instagram and Threads @flipthapaige

Reviews

[Katie O’Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨💫 Really light, talented writing. Utterly charming vampire/witch cozy fantasy. I was honestly riveted the whole way through.

Want more from this author!!!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good! I loved the chemistry between the main characters. The spice was so good that I wished there was more! There was a bit before the middle of the book that kind of dragged where the FMC did a lot of meeting and talking to characters that I felt was a bit excessive and didn't hold my interest. There were reconciliations that didn't seem to really have any catalyst or just seemed too easy to resolve. I think all of those things could have worked a lot better if the book was longer! I would definitely read more of this author's work because their writing style was great!

[Alex S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some spoilers below**

This was too short! I could have read about Lyla and Emory for 1000 pages!! It sounds cheesy but I think the ending could have been drawn out more, I was fully invested.
The story flowed so well and I instantly connected to the characters. I liked the background prologue, it was definitely a hook to get my attention. The spice scenes were perfect, not too much but also refreshing and different. The saltburn vampire scene 🔥

Lyla is an aura reading witch, Scrolls Director, and all around fire cracker
Emory is a violet eyed, dark haired sexy vampire

Lyla is losing the love of her life when Prince Beric marries a princess; there’s some classic royal “we can’t be together” but Emory steps in to distract her and their connection is instant!

I love a tall dark man, but a vampire too! Hot damn!!

He is so sweet, teases her, praises her, and all around treasures her. I could feel her hesitation but I was screaming at her to get that man!

I did not see the plot twist coming and I was annoyed that Rin was maybe going to prevail. I already forgave Emory and knew he must have had an explanation.
I also liked the friendship that ended up blossoming from Beric and Aslinn with Lyla. It was really sweet and I’m glad that the princess was so welcoming to her instead of the classic bitch trope! Women support women!
Speaking of which, f**k Jessica. I’m glad her friends were there and Merrill got her covered.

I look forward to reading more by Paige Cook, this was a nice little treat and I highly recommend it!!

[haya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ So I really really loved the first half of this book. FMC was a boss and MMC was obsessed with her like LOVE THAT. Then the second half (FOR ME) kind of messed up the vibes of the first half and ruined the book for me. I can recognize that this is a me thing based on my tastes and not necessarily the books fault, but the “plot twist” made it harder for me to finish and enjoy the book. Felt really unnecessary and then some of the characters personalities did a complete 180. Plus the ending felt a lil rushed. I would not have minded it being a lil longer to explore more of the situations and the healing parts for the characters. Also I’m still wondering about the memory ball thing she found in his room because that seemed important and then never spoke about again. Overall, I think the first half is 5 stars easily, and then after the roadtrip it was a 2.5 for me.

[Biblio · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's one to do when the prince you've been sneaking around with marries and leaves you behind? Fall for a dark haired vampire of course! Lyla and Emory were cute together. Lyla is an aura witch which I have never read and thought it was super fun and unique!! Contractual relationship, hot feeding, drama and plot twists. I loved that the new princess was sweet and wanted to be friends with Lyla. The friendships in this story were so sweet, silly and genuine. I thought the writing was easy to read and the plot was paced well. I can't wait to see what this author brings next!

*ARC REVIEW

[Sara G · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

I received an ARC copy of this book and I thought it was good! There were a few things lacking in detail for me, but overall it was a quick read and the story was easy to follow. Would love to see a longer story by the author!

[Nicole Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The entire story was very sweet and a easy read, but there were times when the story jumped scenes even in the next sentence which made it feel rushed. I wish the book was longer so it could go in depth of the characters and plot more.

[Meagan D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The premise was solid, and I think with some fine tuning, this could have been a winner for me. As it was, it just didn't resonate with me.

It felt like there were several plot holes, and it felt like some jumps were made that I couldn't follow. I felt lost more often than not.

That being said, the prologue was great, and I really loved the cover art!

I think with maybe a little fixing up, this one could go places!

[Ang · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read 40% and then skimmed the rest. I couldn’t take it anymore, and I don’t dnf books 😭

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the opportunity to be an arc reader! Such a great intro book to the vampire realm of fantasy. A strong female lead is always a bonus.❣️ Would love to see more expansion on the male lead background as well. The banter was my favorite part of the story. The author is also very humble and receptive of critique which is a giant pro! I'm very excited to see more books.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute and witty book that has vampires, a contract relationship, office romance, & magic.

For a newer author, I think she writes very well, and it’ll only get better with time. I do however feel that the story had a difficult time flowing together naturally at some parts- almost like it was choppy, or didn’t make much sense where the scenes ended or began. I’m also unsure as to what the overall plot of the book was. Lyla was kinda all over the place as a character and the subplot between her & her father that was thrown in where he suddenly became emotional and decided to be more open didn’t really contribute much to the story because we didn’t see him again after that, up until the tiny glimpse of him in the epilogue. I did love that Lyla ends up befriending Beric’s new wife and making friends with Beric once again. The ending with the conflict being resolved & moving into the epilogue felt slightly rushed and didn’t give a lot of closure between Emery and Lyla in my opinion either.

With all of that being said though, it was still a cute story! And I LOVE the cover.

I received an ARC of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily & honestly.

[Marisa Ribeiro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, this was a complete letdown. I powered through half of the book, hoping to uncover some depth to the characters or a semblance of a plot, but to no avail. Not only was the storyline unclear, but the characters themselves remained frustratingly one-dimensional.

I was hoping for a romance fantasy, as that is how the author described the book, all I got instead was incessant smut and the protagonist's constant fantasies about the male lead. Any insight into the characters' personalities was sorely lacking, making it impossible to connect with them on any meaningful level.

Despite the promise of a world with vampires and romance, "Violet Veins" fell short in every aspect. Branding it as romance fantasy feels misleading at best.

In the end, the absence of character development and a coherent plot left me feeling extremely disappointed, which made me abandon the book halfway through.

[Cassie Chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arc review

Violet Veins- Paige A Cook

Grab your copy today!!

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Tropes:
🌟 Forced proximity
🌟Office Romance
🌟Vampires
🌟Contract Relationship

I throughly enjoyed this read. It was a fun romantasy. I enjoyed the story and the plot twist were definitely not expected but they were an awesome twist. I enjoyed the character development and the romance was great!

Lyla was an awesome FMC that was an aura reading witch. Which helped her most cases. But when it came to Emory she didn’t know what to think. She’s a very lovable and witty character that I couldn’t get enough of!

Emory was a great MMC that was a vampire with some secrets we later learn about. He was absolutely lovely and I love his interactions with Lyla.

I loved every minute on this magical adventure.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This books has some very sexy spicy scenes but unfortunately not enough to make up for the unrelatable characters and barely strung together plot.

Lyla is a bad ass boss bitch librarian with daddy issues who is also only 26 and doesn’t like to ask people for help but does lean in pretty hard to the fact she’s been having an affair with the prince and gets plenty of favors due to that but also only has her reputation. The prince is getting married and apparently they’ve never talked about what they would do when this inevitably happens despite being best friends. She meets a new guy who is very good at sex but also a virgin and somehow this means now he can blackmail her. She agrees to let him feed on her (feeding scenes 10/10 very hot. Best part of book for sure. 🥵). Surprise, hot virgin vampire is this guy she met one night when she was 16. She didn’t remember. But now that she remembers it’s suddenly very important. More important than the actual time they’ve spent together. But double surprise! It was actually his twin. This apparently is a betrayal. She tries it with the twin but doesn’t have any chemistry and realizes hot virgin is the man for her, just in time for him to come find her almost dead even though he’s already dead because he’s a vampire because now he will only feed from her and she saves his life and the prince is a good friend after all.

The best thing about this book (besides the feeding scenes which again, 🥵🥵) is that the prince’s arranged wife ends up actually being a nice person and a good friend and Lyla doesn’t hate her for that. Love seeing some competing affections without girl on girl crime. There’s also a prominent non binary character.

The plot and the characters all fall a little short for me. The dialogue is kind of weird overall and just makes it hard to believe that any of these are real people. Lyla’s motivations are kind of all over the place and the closest we get to really knowing her is when she does magic to get over the prince which apparently is upsetting to the prince even though he’s by all accounts happily married at this point. She also talks to her dad about openly showing more affection but I’m not sure what that added to the story as a whole. There’s also a whole cast of coworkers who apparently dislike her but are also immediately amenable to helping her. Who is Lyla? No one knows. Except Emory and kind of the twin and maybe the prince. No, definitely just Emory.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the wedding of Lyla's only love, she has a one-night stand to help her broken heart, but surprise, surprise, he shows up at work the next day as her new employee. Well, what love story every went smooth.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book! It had a decent pace and distinct characters. One of the things that I really enjoyed was how I viewed Lyla. At first it's sympathetic, then she becomes unlikable, but through the story-telling, you see her growth and she becomes so much more relatable. It's basically a spoiled girl having to confront her choices, but ultimately be all the better for it. Her relationships with the ML and others improve and she grows stronger in a different way.

The main reason for the four stars and not five were primarily driven by two factors. First, the ending seemed a little rushed. Like there should have been more discussion or another chapter. Second, the world building seemed inconsistent. The FL wears dresses with corsets, but also blouse and pants to work? And they have carriages but also take out? It just left me struggling with how to envision the world the story takes place in.

I would definitely give this a go if you are looking for a shorter romantasy book with some spicy thrown in!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Genesis DeLosSantos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Vampire Love story. It has spice, magic, betrayal (from more than one lover), self discovery and friendship. If you are looking for a good vampire read with twist and making an ultimate decision for one's future, READ THIS NOW!!! There is true self development for alot of characters and it's really fun and emotional (Like i mean you could shed a couple of tears relating to boy ,identity and self worth issues that Layla (the MC) has to face and grow from). I really love how Layla and Emory's love story starts and how there is a foreshadowing of what's to come in their journey, you truly could never guess what happens because of how their love grows for one another, but you will have to read to find out!!
Also, the way that the author uses colors to portray people's emotions really builds up the plot!!
And the relationship she has with the Crown Prince, ufff the relationship she has with the Crown Prince......
Ohh last thing, I really love how the author shows you through some relationships what real love looks like through actions and is supposed to make you feel.

[Alys Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC. The prologue reads as juvenile, which may be intentional as the main character is a teen at the time. The writing improves as the story progresses. It was quick read, and I did enjoy the lead characters. I wish there was a bit more world building built into the story. It took a long time to get a clear sense of the setting, and I still feel like I don’t understand how magic and vampires work in this world.

I was honestly somewhat unclear as to why they end up in a contract relationship, but I guess Emory needs some reason to hang on to Lyla. I was able to get past that confusion, though the characters’ motivations seemed forced at times.

The twist when it comes wasn’t unexpected; I think even Lyla saw it coming. However, I’m unclear as to what Emory’s plan was in returning with her to somewhere he knows they might encounter his brother. It seems like he supposed to be so devilishly clever, but seemly has no plan for what would happen when she finds out the truth. I don’t think this is intended to be part of a series, which is too bad as I did really enjoy some of the characters.

[Proserpina Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I don’t need you. I can live without you.”

“Perhaps, but you want me. And that’s even worse, isn’t it?”

4⭐s

Paige has done it, she made me love an office romance book (OR is one of the least of my preferred tropes)!

This was so smutty. Like a reviewer said in their 1 star post, "incessantly smutty", and nothing truer has been spoken. This book is k1nl
Smut tends to be shallower when it comes to their emotional content, but this book made me *cry*. If you can fully relate to issues such as break-ups, toxic relationships, daddy issues, crippling self-worth, and breaking through hyper-independence and apathy, then prepare tissues. A lot of it is addressed in this book. It felt liberating to read my struggles on paper, and the amount of softness and aftercare that Emory (our MMC) gives to Lyla is tender af. Where can I order an Emory to go, please? 🤪

Again, applause to the author for creating the one book about a boss and their employee that I didn't immediately chuck into the bin. ✨

Thank you so much, Paige A. Cook for allowing me to read this as an ARC.

[Samantha Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, to extra backup my 5 stars rating on how much I loved this book, I may have pushed off doing some chores to sit and finish this the same day I started it, because I couldn't get enough!

Im a lover of fantasy and recently of romance too. If i were to cross bridgerton into a fantasy world with some twists, this would be it!

I ate up the love story between the two main love-interests. Loved the twists along the way, and the ending of this book was fabulous, which made me so content👌. Loved the fantasy/paranormal elements thrown in, and the spice scenes were just perfect to get your blood flowing (pun intended, iykyk)🔥 id probably rate 3.5-4 /5 on spice 🌶

When this book drops, dont walk, run, and grab it. It's not a massively long read, but rather the perfect length for a good night (or two)'s worth of reading! It's fast enough paced you won't want to put it down, and let's be honest, I didn't.

[Stephanie Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read! An aura reading witch and a dark-haired vampire - that’s all I needed to hear to jump at the chance to read this book.

There is a plot twist that kind of took me by surprise. Which of course they’re intended to do that. It definitely added to the story for me.

I went into this book thinking it would be a cozy read but it wasn’t (in the best way). This story had more depth and oomph than I initially gave credit for; and I was simply drawn in more which I loved.

Although this book doesn’t seem rushed, there are parts that seem a little jumbled or that the author was trying to cram a story in a certain amount of pages vs giving themselves more time to write. For the next book, don’t limit yourself. It’s clear to me this author has so much more to say and the skills to develop a more in depth or world-building type of work. I’d love to see them be able to do that. Bravo!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book pulled me in from the very beginning. The prologue honestly drew me in. It was nice to have a little bit of background about this mysterious new guy in Lylas life... or so I thought.

The chemistry between Emory & Lyla was so good. The steamy scenes, banter, and flirting was honestly right up my alley. It really was giving Golden Retriever bf/ Black Cat gf vibes haha. I just loved Emory so much.

I also actually quite enjoyed the little bit of character development for Lyla.
I will, however, agree with others that the story did seem to jump around and was a bit rushed. With that being said, this was a good cozy short read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think the authors writing was great and I'm excited to follow their growth with future books!

[Myriah Barbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed this book. I promised to be honest so I won’t lie and say it didn’t start off a little slow for my taste. BUT, some of my absolute favorite books were very hard to get into at first so I pushed through and was not disappointed. I would have loved more background on the characters or even Lyla’s aura reading abilities, but it was still a good read either way. The plot twist though was great! It definitely took me by surprise! I’m usually pretty good at figuring books out so I always love when I don’t see something coming! But all in all I think it was a very cute book and I look forward to reading more from this author 💜

[Mandy-kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this sweet, spicy story. If you are a fan of cozy fantasy and are looking for something with a substantial side of spice, this is the book for you.

The twists and turns in this book caught me by surprise, and I resolution at the ending.

I absolutely love Lyla. Her intelligence and determination make it hard not to fall in love with her. And I absolutely adore Emory—that sexy morally grey vampire has stolen my heart.

This story is fast paced, easy to read, and perfectly walks the line between cozy and smutty fantasy.

Tropes
✨ Witch x Vampire
✨ Office Romance
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Contract Romance

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

[Shakella "The Singing Bibliophile" Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chemistry between the characters, the pace, and the spice in this book was just right for me.

I enjoyed this read, the friendships were sweet and believable, and they had conversations I could hear myself have with my bestie, the banter was spot on. However a couple of situations were solved too easily, and I would have liked the plot and character's backstory to have been a bit meatier.

I have never read a vampire book that had the encounters to be so fantastical. I really did enjoy this book! I would be interested in reading a longer book by this author.

Violet Veins was an easy-to-follow, short, sweet fantasy romance.

[bookish_adventurer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Violet Veins 💜🖤✨

A cozy fantasy following Lyla (an aura reading witch) and her “questionable” relationship with the vampire Emory. This is a light read— fast paced, low stakes. Definitely a short story with a ton of potential. Would have enjoyed more if certain concepts and characters were explored deeper, however this was described as a short story. Look forward to reading more from this author.

#violetveins #paigecook #arc #arcreader #bookish
#lylaandemory #fantasy #books #reading #cozyfantasy #shortstory

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like fantasy and I enjoy romance but I don't always like the often cheesy blend of the two genres. This one did it well. A touch of magic and lots of different types of creatures (though we don't get to know any beyond the vampire) set in a kingdom that's a nice blend of familiar and unique. Lots of spice but also plenty of emotion. There's a crazy twist near the end that felt like it needed more time to resolve but I can't say more about that without spoilers. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[…Welcome to My World &#x1f30e.. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a witty story with magical characters that made the story all the more interesting. Emory and Lyla were like a mystery couple. The times that Emory fed off of Lyla were so captivating. It kept me on edge trying to see what was coming next. I definitely did not see that plot twist! I will admit that at times it was slow and dragging but other than that it was definitely a decent read.

I received an ARC copy and I’m voluntarily leaving my honest review.

[Gwynne SAKiwiDolfin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was given the privilege of being an ARC reader for this book... thank you.
I absolutely loved it... Do yourselves a favour and grab a copy for yourselves to read.

I love fantasy and romance, which this had...💜🦇 Great characters and some spicy scenes too.. 4 out of 5. 🌶

It drew me in from the first page and had a plot twist; which was unexpected.. and made it even more interesting to see what would happen at the end.

Grab yourselves a copy and get reading 📚

[Tatyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy and pretty quick read, cute contract romance relationship with amazing chemistry. Jumped around a little bit, but still a very easy read. I rated 3 stars as I do wish it was a bit longer than it was, and because of the jumping plot. It was still a good read, and I will most likely check out more of the authors writings.
(I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really just had a good time reading this book. The characters and situations were mostly fun and the background of the city was interesting. I liked the small detail of having different emotions in the food that you could order! The one thing I will say is that the climax of the story is a little confusing and in the moment, I couldn't really figure out what was happening, but it eventually made sense. Overall, this was just a fun read!